• Key element in addressing today’s energy and environmental challenges.

  • Technical, legal, regulatory and technological expertise is needed.

  • Innovation and new technologies, key to a decentralised, flexible and digitalised energy model.

Energy communities in logistics and industrial areas are a new way of managing energy production and consumption in these sectors that make it possible to generate, share and use energy more efficiently and sustainably by involving different innovative technologies. The successful implementation of these energy communities involves a number of challenges including, among others, the coordination and integration of different actors and technologies, overcoming regulatory barriers or the economic and financial viability of these initiatives.

In this context, Logistop, a leading association in logistics innovation, organised the Observatory Logistic “Energy communities in logistics and industrial areas: experiences, challenges and opportunities, with the introduction and moderation of Tomás de la Vega, Managing Director, Logistop, and with the participation of Juan Carlos de Pablo Olaiz, Head of Innovation Decarbonisation and sustainability applied to the logistics chain, Logistop, Vicente Pérez Guatia, Technical Director, Ecoinversol, Javier Zuazola, Business Development, Corporate Energy Communities, Edinor, Jon Rozados García, Head of Electricity Market, Tecnalia, and Jordi Vila and Xavier Sabaté, Head of Environment and Head of Environmental Projects, respectively, at Autoridad Portuaria de Barcelona.

Observatory Logistic Comunidades energéticas en ámbitos logísticos e industriales: experiencias, desafíos y oportunidades

Why energy communities in logistics environments

At Logistop, we address the issue of energy communities because in the energy transition environment in which we find ourselves, it is a concept, as Juan Carlos de Pablo points out, that allows us to address decarbonisation actions in a collaborative and joint manner that would be unfeasible (or in a very restricted manner) to be addressed by a single agent.

“Energy communities are an enabler for the operational integration of the new energy vectors that are emerging”

Juan Carlos de Pablo Olaiz, Head of Innovation Decarbonisation and sustainability applied to the logistics chain, Logistop

When forming the energy community, it is necessary to have a clear objective as to what the community is being formed for and, once it is formed, the services can be expanded. As Vicente Pérez points out, it is essential to agree on what each agent wants within the community, what it can offer and what it can receive in return in order to form the most appropriate structure.

Energy communities in business / industrial environments

For his part, Javier Zuazola reminds us that the objective that an energy community should pursue is to reduce dependence on the electricity market, increase energy efficiency, decarbonise productive activity and improve the sustainability of the local environment. Javier also points out that one of the greatest challenges that an energy community must face is to optimise demand management.

Having technical, legal, regulatory and technological knowledge, as well as the associated costs and subsidies, are essential aspects for an energy community to be successful, as Javier pointed out.

“Being part of an energy community is not only a sign of competitiveness, but also conveys innovation, dynamism and social responsibility”

Javier Zuazola, Business Development, Corporate Energy Communities, Edinor

Opportunity for the deployment of energy communities

Next, Jon Rozados contributed the innovative and technological point of view, emphasising the existence of different regulatory frameworks depending on the technology to be used.

He also added that energy communities are a key element in accelerating the energy transition, providing a decentralised, flexible and digitalised energy model. This also promotes energy and environmental sustainability, long-term energy security, as well as contributing to electrification and decarbonisation.

“The industrial energy communities are highly extrapolable to ports, with a certain ease in adapting this concept to the different types of ports: ferry docks, cruise ship docks, cargo docks…”

Jon Rozados García, Head of Electricity Market, Tecnalia

Energy community of the Port of Barcelona

As an example of a success story, Jordi Vila explained the pilot energy community developed in Moll Pescadors, with the aim of scaling up this energy community to the entire Port of Barcelona. To do this, as Jordi pointed out, two unique characteristics of the port must be taken into account: on the one hand, its public nature at the contracting level and, on the other hand, the variable period of the concessioned installations, which is less than the 25-year life of the photovoltaic panels. The objective is to achieve maximum use of the PV energy generated at the Port without return to the grid.

“The implementation of community energy throughout the Port of Barcelona, taking full advantage of all the capacity, could represent a third of the current electricity consumption”

Jordi Vila, Head of Environment, Autoridad Portuaria de Barcelona

To conclude, Xavier Sabaté reflected on the fact that if we have to tend towards decarbonisation, we cannot only aspire to replace current electricity consumption, but we must also enter fully into the substitution of fossil fuels. And, as he pointed out, it is in this field where electricity generation also has a special component.

“In logistics facilities we have to look a bit more at the medium term and see if these needs for generation and consumption of other fuels and other forms than electricity have to be addressed as a priority when we programme our energy communities”

Xavier Sabaté, Head of Environmental Projects, Autoridad Portuaria de Barcelona

About Logistop

At Logistop we transform the supply chain through innovation, helping industry and companies to become more efficient and sustainable.

We are a multidisciplinary and inter-territorial working space in the logistics innovation arena formed by all the actors involved in the supply chain, as well as universitiestechnology centresassociations and specialised consultancy firms.

One of Logistop’s main objectives is:

  1. To promote the need for innovation among companies involved in the logistics sector;
  2. To promote innovation projects;
  3. To communicate the real needs of the sector at an institutional level.